Vlambeer is the team behind other hits like Super Crate Box, so I’m actually not surprised that this game is equally as addictive. In fact, I find it even more so, because who doesn’t like the idea of fishing with toasters, chainsaws, and hairdryers? I mean, honestly, how could you not like how ridiculous this game is?

So we have a guy named Billy, and he’s looking for redemption from his uncertain past. You’ll find out what this is when you reach the end of the game, but I’m still working my way towards that. So on his quest to redeem himself, he’s fishing, but it’s anything from ordinary. You will use chainsaw bait with spinning blades, have toasters and hairdryers for electrocuting sea life, and turn these fish into wearable hats for fashion.

There are three phases to each round of fishing that you play. First, you will cast the line. This is done by tapping and then tilting your device to avoid fish and obstacles (jellyfish) and go as deep in the water as you can. Or, if you have a chainsaw lure, you can tap and hold down on the screen to activate it, allowing your lure to tear through fish on the way down. It only has so much fuel though (on the top left corner), so use it sparingly for most efficiency.

Once you are out of usable line, or snag some fish, then Bill will pull the line up, initiating the second phase. Now, you will want to use your lure to catch as many fish as possible on the way up (you can catch jellyfish too, but it’s best to avoid them as much as possible). Once they get to the surface, Billy will give that line a mighty pull and the fish will go flying into the air. Now you get out your shotgun and shoot them into a fine red mist by tapping on them (or dragging your finger around if you have an automatic weapon).

Each fish will have a different value of money that you will get when they are successfully shot (some need multiple hits). This money is used in the Shack Shoppe for purchasing more reels, guns, lures, tech, hats, and outfits. The magic about Ridiculous Fishing, and unlike the ripoff clone Ninja Fishing, is the fact that there are absolutely no in-app purchases. Everything that is available in the Shoppe can be obtained with enough playing and patience (kind of like real fishing, right?).

There are several different areas that you will end up unlocking, but to do so, you will have to keep catching and shooting new species of sea life. After each round, you will see a progress bar of the total number of species that you have caught, and how many more you need. Each area will have their own unique species, and there are even more to find the further down in the sea you go (lamps help out a lot).

Additionally, you will be able to unlock an infinite arcade mode eventually, and there are some fun extras in the game as well. Each new species you obtain will end up with some awesome descriptions in the Fish-O-Pedia, and there is even a fake Twitter-like service called Byrdr that is quite entertaining to look through. You can view the Map to change the current fishing location as well.

My favorite thing about Ridiculous Fishing, though, are the graphics and music. It’s not really a full-on pixelated look, but the visuals are extremely stylized so that they really stand out among the content in the App Store. And I really recommend playing this game with the volume up, or some headphones — it’s a really whimsical soundtrack that you need to hear.

I’ve been playing this for hours already, and it’s one of the best games that have come out on iOS so far this year (probably along with Super Stickman Golf 2). The only negative thing is the fact that there is no iCloud support for game saves, even though it’s a universal app. And I hope to see more content added in future updates as well.

Some may think it’s a bit repetitive, but I still find it to be a ridiculous amount of fun and definitely a great time killer. The just-one-more-game-won’t-hurt mentality applies here, and it’s quite hard to put down.